VISTA — A man who federal officials said was deported from the United States four times before fatally striking an 11-year-old boy with his vehicle in Escondido and fleeing the scene was sentenced today to three years in state prison.
Hector Amador Balderas, 45, whose case sparked public debate among federal and state officials over his immigration status, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one felony count of hit-and-run causing death for striking Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz with his vehicle on Nov. 26, 2025, and then driving away.
Witnesses said Aiden entered the street to retrieve a soccer ball when he was struck around 5 p.m. near the intersection of East Washington Avenue and Hickory Street. He was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital, where he died Thanksgiving morning, according to police.
Prosecutors said Amador Balderas turned himself in a few days later.
At the time of his arrest, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleged California had refused to honor an immigration detainer filed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in which local law enforcement agencies are asked to notify the federal agency when someone believed to be deportable is scheduled for release from custody.
After the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office rejected ICE’s request for an immigration detainer, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that she was calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to “do the right thing and honor ICE’s arrest detainer.”
Newsom called the DHS allegations “a complete lie” and said California honors federal criminal warrants. His office added, “Nothing prohibits the federal government from doing its job in this case.”
